Fascinated by Christmas

Christmas is coming.  With that in mind, and with Christmas list in hand, 

Martha and I made a trip to our local mall to begin our gift search in 
earnest.

We had just bagged one trophy gift at one end of the mall and were 
heading towards the other end.  Out in the middle of the mall walkway was 
a display of some sort, lamps and knick knacks and such.  I paid little 
heed.  I had other things in mind.  

But then I saw this little toddler, barely old enough to walk.  He 
toddled over to the display, and immediately his head snapped back in 
order to get the full view of what was in front of him.  His mouth 
dropped open, and he stood there in complete, unashamed awe.  

I had to slow up my step long enough to glance over and see what he was 
looking at.  It was a globe about the size of a volleyball, made of 
chunks of glass.  It revolved and had a light inside that glowed through 
the chunks of glass.   Rich reds, greens and blues lit up the display and 
his face.

Soon his mother came to see what he had found.  He oooo-ed and aaaah-ed 
trying to let his mother know how special this thing was.  The child was 
totally fascinated.  

I marveled at the innocent wonder that children have, especially at 
Christmas time.  I have to admit that, inside, I yearned to be fascinated 
like that, to be in wonder and awe like that child.  I commented to 
Martha, "Oh the wonder of kids!"

Later on in our mall trip, we circled back by that display one more time.
I have to admit that, because I had seen that child so taken by the glass 
chunked globe, I had to see it for myself, up close.  It was indeed, 
marvelous, bright and colorful.  I can see how the toddler was so taken 
with it.

I pray that, somehow, this Christmas we will encounter people who come to 
the manger and stand before the Christ child in total fascination, awe 
and wonder.  By their awe and wonder, they draw us into the wonder of the 
word made flesh. 

I pray that we will take time to see the wonder in our children as they 
kneel at the manger, eyes transfixed on the gift that is before them. 

I pray that our worship will catch us like that globe of glass chunks 
caught that boy, and that we will be struck speechless before the beauty 
of the Christ child so that we are moved to profound oooohs and aaaahs. 

I pray that we, like that child in the mall, will draw our families to 
the place where the gift can be seen.

I pray that because others in proximity to us have seen the awe and 
wonder in us, they will be drawn to circle back again to see what moved 
us to such wonder.

In reality that's what Christmas is, a time of awe.  Joseph stands in 
awe.  Mary holds the child in awe.  Shepherds kneel in awe.  Wise men 
travel and present gifts in awe.  

In a world that is sometimes aw-ful, it is time for an awe-filled 
Christmas. 

Strength Through Weakness

(Note: this is a pondering on an ailing Pope John Paul II's visit to the holy land in March 2000, a powerful testimony to God's power even today.)

Whether people belong to the Roman Catholic church or not, all but the hardest or hearts couldn’t help being  touched by the sight of the ailing Pope John Paul II making his pilgrimage to the holy land, paying homage at biblical sites, presiding at mass, talking to a wide variety of middle east leaders, shedding tears at the holocaust memorial and placing a note in the wailing wall.  What the pope did in his visit there transcends even the Roman Catholic Church, as vast an organization as that is.

What was  it about this bent over man with trembling limbs who seems to call upon   every bit of strength just to move about, that reaches out to us and makes us take notice of him and his mission?

He is, understandably, the most powerful religious figure in the world, but it is not his power that draws us in.  He controls a vast empire of Christians around the world, but it is not his control of that organization that touches us. Papal trappings, miters and chasubles cannot reach across the divide between Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Muslims and even nonbelievers, as he has.

He is of keen political  mind.  He meets with presidents and less democratic rulers, and they listen, at least while he’s with them.  Still, we expect such from strong leaders.  That is not what has reached beyond our exteriors and taken hold of our hearts.

The thing that has made him so strong in our minds, the thing that has gotten us past the fact that he is Catholic and we are not, is not his strength, but his weakness.  Actually, we have come to appreciate that his weakness has become his strength.

Most of us don’t want to be seen in public if we’re having a bad hair day, much less the kind of physical problems the pope has.  We try to keep others from seeing our frailties and imperfections.  We’re too proud to wear our reading glasses in public. 

Yet here is a bent and drooping man who chooses to place himself in the spotlight of the world in a place that is physically challenging even for those who are younger and healthier. 

Even more than that, he shows how weak he is: he, the holy religious leader, makes his way haltingly to the Western Wall, stands silently, then places a piece of paper in the Wall, a prayer asking  forgiveness from the Jewish people.

The note reads:
 
“God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your Name to the Nations. We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking Your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant.”  At the bottom was his signature and the date.

Weak, frail, trembling, bent...the perfect vessel for God’s strength to come through!  God’s grace was sufficient for him.

It is the weakest, the most frail, the youngest, the oldest, the ignored, the most humble, even an ailing pope, who cut through all the nonsense and go straight to our hearts. May it’s because the weakness of these folks allows our defenses to go down so that we can see less of what we want and more of what God wants. God gave a powerful demonstration of that through this frail pope.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Time for the Naked Truth

It was one of those rare days in March: sunshine, 60 degrees, nothing I had to do, and enough energy in my reserve tank to get the old body moving and out of the house.  I picked up my latest “must have” tool, the pruning stick, and began sauntering around this old homestead, seeing what I could see, fixing what I could fix and trimming what I could trim.

Such a day in March is just the time to do that.  March is the “naked truth” time of the year.  Things can be seen in March that can’t be seen  the rest of the year, things hidden by green grass, tree leaves, heat induced laziness and our own busyness.  By March though, the grass has gone limp and been matted down by snow, the leaves are not there to hide what’s underneath, and the stark sunshine probes deep, all the way to the ground.

I took my pruning stick and began nipping away stems of unwanted bushes and briars around our pond.  In the heat of last summer, when just keeping the grass mowed between rain storms was an arduous task, I was willing to turn my head from these few little leaves along the pond bank.  But in the stark light of March, I can see what they’re up to.  It’s not one stem; it is a dozen stems!  It’s not just a foot high; it’s 3 feet high!  It’s not just that one scrub bush, it is briars and weeds and even some poison ivy vines slinking along the ground.  And they are swelling.  They are massing brigades at their stemmy borders. They are ready to reach for the heights this season.

Now I can see.  Now it’s clear what furtive plans they have.  Well, on this sunny day, when the Ides of March are raising their ominous hackles, I for one am acknowledging the naked truth---- and doing something about it.  Clip, clip, clip to you Mr. Transgressor! You shall not advance just now.  Yes, I know you will still be there. I know you will push forward wherever you can push forward, but today I have punched the “reset button.” It shall not be business as usual for you.

Is this not the business of Lent?  God’s business and our business?  It is the most stark time of the year, a time for the naked truth about us, and about God.  There is no hiding in the Lenten story of Gods love.  We cannot hide from what we are and how we have allowed brush and brambles to grow where they should not be growing in our lives.  This too, is the season of the stark love of Jesus hanging on a cross.  It will not be hidden any longer.  It is there for all to see.

A post script to my March pruning madness: what I was never able to see before today amid the brambles and brush there on the shore of our pond.  There nestled under all this unwanted clutter was a beautiful, young arborvitae bush.  Somehow, it had the courage and tenacity to sprout and hold its own in that very scruffy setting.  It will be a wonderful addition to that shoreline. 

That’s another part of the naked truth.  When our Lenten journey gets rid of some of the brambles in our lives, the Son can reach down to warm and invigorate some of the good parts of us that have been hidden. Maybe that will be the naked truth for you this lent!